


The Lesser of Two Evils

by Skaya_Sloane



Series: Sinners & Saints [1]
Category: Daredevil (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, F/M, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-26
Updated: 2015-11-19
Packaged: 2018-04-28 06:03:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5080498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skaya_Sloane/pseuds/Skaya_Sloane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fisk made a mistake when he killed Vladimir Ranskahov. He made an even bigger mistake when he underestimated James Wesley.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> This is my reworking of the show canon because Wesley deserved better and Karen belongs with Foggy. Other DD works that inspired me to write this were: Amicable Arrangements by Volunteerfd and the Teumessian Fox series by Onvavoir. Go check them out if you haven’t already read them.

Chapter One

 

How had it gotten to this point? Wesley wondered bitterly as he watched Vladimir Ranskahov’s casket being unceremoniously lowered into the cold Earth. A few weeks ago everything had been going according to plan. And now, everything was different and it all led back to the same man. Wilson Fisk.

* * *

 Wesley and Vladimir had always had a sort of love-hate relationship.

“We don’t deal with lap dogs.” Apparently tonight was a hate night.

“We don’t say his name.” Vladimir rolled his eyes and Anatoly actually Woofed at him as they moved to leave the meeting early. Leland was blathering on about profit margins, but something was bothering Wesley.

“Tell me more about this man in the mask.” Vladimir stopped halfway to the elevator and turned back around as Wesley continued, “He took your men out. How?"

“He caught them by surprise. Beat them with his bare hands.”

Leland huffed in annoyance, “Who cares...”

“This is different. My employer will be…” Wesley tried to think of a word other than enraged, “… _Dis_ pleased. We are being inconvenienced by a lone vigilante.”

Vladimir leaned in and locked eyes knowingly with Wesley, “Then he should tell me to my face.” _And not take it out on you_ being the unspoken subtext.

Wesley cleared his throat with something he pretended was impatience, “This is on you. Deal with it. Quietly.”

Anatoly being Anatoly bristled at the perceived slight and questioned Wesley about what he was doing to ameliorate the Union Allied issue. Wesley rolled his eyes and Vladimir simply lifted a brow as if it say, _Hey, he has a point_. At the end of his rope, Wesley bit out, “We’re. Handling. It.”

* * *

 “Miss Page most likely hid it somewhere in her apartment. Stay on her and the minute she retrieves the evidence, eliminate her.”

Wesley had just hung up the phone when a hand settled heavily against his throat. “This is how the man in the black mask, your ‘vigilante’ snuck up on our men.” Vladimir whispered into his ear, spinning him around in his chair. Wesley grinned, already loosening his tie and shucking his jacket.

“It’s a shame your brother wasn’t there to meet the vigilante. Maybe he would have taught him some manners.”

Vladimir smirked and pushed Wesley back roughly against his desk, paperwork be damned. “Afterward he told me that you have a pretty big bark for such a tiny lap dog.” Wesley clenched his jaw as Vladimir ripped his shirt open and lifted him up onto the desk before standing between his legs.

“And what did you tell him?”

Vladimir held his gaze as he brought Wesley’s right hand to lips and kissed the last three fingers lightly. Wesley sighed at the unexpectedly tender gesture. He was the only other person who knew that Wesley had minimal feeling in those fingers as a result of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time to Fisk.

“I told him that you have a pretty big bite too.”

Wesley was only too happy to prove Anatoly correct in this one instance.

* * *

 Much later as they were getting dressed, Vladimir asked him the usual, “Why do you let…”

Wesley threw up his hand, “We don’t say his name, Vlad.”

Vladimir grabbed the hand, and pulled Wesley closer, “You deserve better. Come work for me.”

He wondered if it could really be that simple, if it could work. Maybe, but it was highly unlikely. Wilson would consider it a betrayal. No, it was better to keep this quiet so that they both had a chance of coming out of this alive. Wesley snorted, “I thought you said I deserved better.” Vladimir’s grip tightened painfully for a moment before he abruptly released it and stood to leave.

“Fine.”

Before he could slam the door, Wesley called out, “About the vigilante…”

“We’re handling it.”

“Just a thought…” Vladimir paused in the doorway and Wesley continued, “if he really is out for justice you might set a trap. Something with a child or old woman, perhaps.”

Vlad sighed and turned back around, “You really are a cold bastard. Maybe you do belong with…” Wesley raised an eyebrow, “… _your employer_.”

Long after the door stopped reverberating Wesley remained behind picking up fallen papers and wondering if he had made the right choice. That was the last time he was ever with Vladimir Ranskahov.

* * *

 Wesley didn’t have any false illusions that Vladimir had been the great love of his life or anything so maudlin. But he did had cared for him. Vladimir and he had known things about one another that they had never been able to share with others. Openness was a luxury that people in their business rarely allowed themselves, and Wesley did not take it for granted. So when Wilson Fisk got Vladimir Ranskahov killed, that was the third strike for James Wesley.

The second strike had come when his employer had dispatched of Anatoly with his signature rage. Truth be told, Wesley wasn’t all that torn up about it. Anatoly had never liked him much and the feeling was mutual since Wesley believed that Anatoly was a holding Vladimir back. However, when you are with someone you begin to care about the same things they do, to a degree. Which is usually the exact reason that Wesley actively avoided these types of…personal entanglements altogether. He had never thought that Anatoly would be stupid enough to confront his employer like he did. Nor had he believed that Fisk would want to eliminate both Russians so early in their game. He had honestly believed that he would be able to convince Fisk when the time came to keep them involved or at least let them live. At least if everything fell perfectly. But it didn’t. Instead, everything fell apart when the man in the black mask showed up.

_No_ , if he was honest with himself it had all started to go wrong when Vanessa showed up. Wesley knew that his employer valued his particular skill set and that for the most part he was an appreciated asset to their organization. As such, Wesley regularly excused a great many…eccentricities. Plus the insurance was great. What he could not forgive, however, was Fisk’s willingness to derail all of their ( _Wesley’s_ ) careful planning for some woman, all the while treating Wesley like a glorified butler. It was unacceptable and it was Wilson Fisk’s first strike.

* * *

 Those were Fisk’s mistakes. Of course, Wesley’s own mistakes were just as egregious, if more subtle. Not everyone could have daddy-centric rage issues that ruled their life. He had been too confident in his own abilities to rein in Fisk and their many pawns on the chessboard that was Hell’s Kitchen. It had also been foolish to become involved with Vladimir. But Wesley’s biggest mistake had been not dealing with the man in the black mask himself.

The devil of Hell’s Kitchen. _Hmph_. He had been suspicious of Matt Murdock since the moment he met the man with his unseeing eyes and all-knowing attitude. It had immediately rankled Wesley’s preternatural calm. He wasn’t sure what it was that Murdock was into, but he knew that the man was not the simple, lawyer crusading for justice that he pretended to be for everyone. Murdock had all but confirmed that himself when he had attempted to follow him from their office the first time they officially met. It had been happenstance that Wesley caught a glimpse of Matt as his car pulled away from the curb. A Blind lawyer from Hell’s Kitchen following him? Unlikely. Still, Wesley’s trust in his own instincts had kept him alive for this long and he was not about to start ignoring them now.

So he had hired people to follow Matt Murdock, and his partner Foggy Nelson for good measure, to see what they discovered. Somehow, Murdock managed to lose every single tail. At first he thought it was general incompetency. Outside of D.C., hiring quality criminals was difficult work. But after several professional acquaintances of Vladimir proved unequal to the task, Wesley had them try again this time with body cameras so that he could see for himself. Sure enough, Murdock would inevitably vanish. They would only pick him back up when he neared his partner or law office.

Wesley didn’t dare to voice his suspicion about Matt Murdock, not without solid proof. So he hired a talented hacker to dig into Mr. Murdock’s life because even a blind man couldn’t escape an electronic trail. But then all hell broke loose when Wilson implemented their plans more quickly than anticipated. And then the world was on fire and Vlad was dead. Wesley had tried to convince Fisk to let him handle the situation, thinking that he could sneak Vlad out to safety and leave the Devil to distract the Kingpin.

Wesley picked up a handful of dirt and dropped it onto the Vladimir’s coffin. Nodding to the grave diggers, he began the long walk back to Hell’s Kitchen. He opened the file that had been waiting on his desk for a few weeks. What he found was tragically normal other than the daddy issues that seemed to be a common occurrence in the Kitchen. There were some interesting purchases though. Night sticks, first aid supplies, lightweight body armor….and that was when Wesley put it together. The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen was masquerading as a blind lawyer. Was Murdock even blind? He flipped back a few pages. No, the medical reports didn’t indicate anything other than total blindness. Maybe they had been faked? Or Murdock had regained his sight? Wesley shut the file with a snap and took the next left towards the office of Nelson and Murdock. He was suddenly in the mood to have a polite conversation with the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen.

* * *

 Matt stumbled through his apartment, trying to get an ice pack onto his injuries before they swelled and Foggy got more concerned about him living alone. Grabbing a pack of frozen peas, he collapsed onto his couch and pressed it gently to his forehead. He didn’t know why he had thought things would be different with Stick. Why he had believed that the old man would see him as an equal. That he would be proud. Matt wondered about the people who had been trailing him. The last guy had been wearing some kind of electronic device. A bug perhaps? It had emitted a weird, high pitched frequency. Maybe Stick had been keeping an eye on him prior to his arrival. But subtlety like that wasn’t really Stick’s style.

_Tick, tick._

However, it was the style of one pedantic person in particular. And it sounded like he was coming to pay Matt a home visit.

_Tick, tick. Snick, click. Tick, tick._

Matt really shouldn’t have been surprised to find that Fisk’s right hand man was very good at breaking into places. He leaned over and grabbed one of the wooden legs that had broken off a piece of furniture in his earlier scuffle with Stick. He slid it out of sight, but within reach just as Wesley entered the apartment.

“Mr. Murdock.”

Matt turned at the sound of the voice, trying to act surprised. “You know that breaking and entering is a serious crime, right?” Surprising even himself, Wesley flipped the couch over with Matt still in it. “So is killing people. Even Russian mobsters.” And maybe this wouldn’t be such a polite conversation.

Matt gritted his teeth, trying not to react as he moved out from underneath the couch which, like everything else in his apartment, was now worse for wear. He had just gotten his apartment how he liked it. Now it would be more trips to Ikea and six months trying to figure out how to put their goddamn furniture together. Plus, he had a killer headache. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Mister….?”

Wesley bared his teeth as he bit out, “Don’t play dumb, Mr. Murdock. I know you know who I am. My question for you is, how does a blind man become the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen?”

Matt sighed. Apparently the secret was out, he grabbed the discarded frozen peas and flung them at Wesley who made the mistake of taking his eyes off of Matt for a second. The next thing he knew, Wesley was on his back with a very angry Daredevil’s arm pressed against his throat. “I’m not lying. I know who you work for, but I don’t know who you are, and I didn’t kill Ranskahov. I tried to get him to testify, but he chose to go out shooting at Fisk’s cops.” Matt released Wesley as he had gone strangely still, he could tell the fight had gone out of the man.

To Wesley’s benefit, he recovered quickly and sat up as he studied Matt intensely. Even blind, Matt could tell he was being watched and squirmed under Wesley’s precise gaze. “I apologize, Mr. Murdock. I wasn’t certain that you were the man in the black mask until this very moment. My name is James Wesley, and I have a proposition for you.”

 

 

 


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two 

Let it be known somewhere in the annals of history that today was the day that Franklin “Foggy” Nelson finally bested Matthew Murdock in the game of love! Or technically, last night was. Several times.

“Foggy I can hear your wheels turning from over hear.” Karen peeked out at him from the bathroom. “You should start getting ready, we need to leave so that we can make separate entrances at the office.”

Foggy stopped his internal happy dance at that comment and glanced at Karen who was already fully dressed and heading for the door. “Uh Karen, if you are regretting what happened last night…I won’t be upset if you want to-“

Karen laughed. “…laugh at my insecurities? Seriously, not cool, Ms. Page.”

Karen smiled and came back over to the bed where Foggy was still currently hogging all of the covers. “That isn’t what’s happening here, Foggy. I just want to keep our relationship private for now.”

Foggy digested that as he fidgeted with the blankets, “So you don’t have a thing for Matt and I’m just your second choice?”

She sighed and took his hand in hers, “You have nothing to worry about, Foggy.”

“Oh really, Ms. ‘Feel my face so that I know what it would be like when Matt feels it’?”

“Look, you are not incorrect. Matt is the guy that I would normally be hung up on, but we both know that would end in heartbreak for all involved. I’m trying to change my life for the better, and that means making better choices. Part of that is seeing what is right in front of me, Foggy. I want a relationship with you, not Matt.”

“I’M THE KING OF THE WORLD!”

“Okay, well the ‘King of the World’ needs to learn how to share covers if this is going to work…”

* * *

 

“Look, Mr. Murdock-“ Wesley paused to glance at Matt, “May I call you Matthew?”

As he spoke, Wesley was ~~pacing~~ calmly walking around the room, picking up items off of what items of furniture were still standing and looking at them with interest, trying to figure out more about the man in black. For his part, Matt was reclined against the bar on the opposite side of the room trying to figure out why he was even listening to Wesley.

When he got no response, Wesley nodded. “Mr. Murdock, I understand why you doubt my sincerity. You most likely assume that I am trying to lead you into a trap. However, if this plan is going to work then we need to get over our mutual distrust of one another.”

That got a response. “Mutual? Why would you distrust me, Wesley? Or should I call you James?”

Wesley’s shark grin was wasted on Matt, “I’m not often wrong when it comes to sizing up people, Mr. Murdock. The fact that you are capable of the level of duplicity needed to pull off leading a double life, while admirable is cause for concern.”

Matt snorted in disbelief, “Note to self, add duplicitous to my criminal resume.”

Wesley continued, “I also doubt your general competency and commitment to putting Wilson Fisk down like the dog he is.”

Matt noted the anger beneath Wesley’s tone as he spoke about Fisk and the sound of him clenching his jaw and fists in tandem before Wesley’s mask of calm placidity resurfaced. _Interesting_. Matt moved toward Wesley who seemed to be trying to keep some distance between them. Always the cautious one. Of course, once Wesley realized what he was doing he stopped and stepped up to meet Matt in the middle of the room. He would not be ruled by fear.

He had known that Murdock would want to make him squirm before agreeing to anything and if he needed to let that happen to bring Fisk down, so be it. Matt moved into Wesley’s space even more and Wesley forced himself to remain still. He couldn’t help the sharp intake of breath when Matt’s hands darted up to his face. Matt gave Wesley his own shit eating grin as he cataloged the reaction. _Broad forehead, long nose, glasses, angular cheek bones, thin lips, strong jaw_. His fingers trailed from Wesley’s jaw down to his neck before Matt finally stepped back.

“Now I know what you look like.”

Wesley straightened his tie and re-buttoned his suit jacket which Matt noted the sounds of the shifting material as his tells for when he was nervous. “So Wesley, how do you propose we move past our 'mutual distrust'?”

Wesley tossed him something then, “It’s a tape recording of this whole conversation. You can have it as proof to take to Wilson Fisk that I betrayed him. You have all the leverage here, my life is in your hands, Mr. Murdock.”

Matthew Murdock may ‘see’ a lot more than others, but James Wesley knew people. And he knew the minute that Matt was going to accept his proposal. Matthew sensed Wesley’s relaxed stance and bristled at the implication. “How do I know that this isn’t an elaborate ploy that Fisk and you concocted together?”

Wesley smirked and Matt could feel the smug satisfaction rolling off of him in waves. “Not bad Mr. Murdock, you are learning. Maybe you will be able to take Fisk down.”

_Condescending sonuva.._

“Ben Urich.”

“What about him?”

“He is a journalist friend of yours, is he not?”

“What’s your point?”

“I will give him the background information he needs to write an expose on my employer and in return you will help me avoid any retribution from Fisk or law enforcement.”

It was a reasonable plan. Bring the man out of the shadows, expose him to the public as a criminal and with a minimal potential for danger. Still it seemed too easy.

“Can’t fight your own battles, Wesley?” He sneered, still not ready to concede.

Wesley clenched his jaw. Finally, a reaction.

“Every war needs its general and cannon fodder, Mr. Murdock. I’ll let you decide which one you are.”

Even Wesley saw the blow coming and he easily caught Matt’s fist in his hand. “Tsk, any hits and my employer might suspect something.”

Matt jerked his hand free. As much as he wanted to tell Wesley to fuck off, he couldn’t pass up this opportunity. “Fine, I’m all in. Just get the hell out of my apartment.”

Wesley nodded and headed towards the door. No sense in lingering after a decisive victory. “A pleasure as always, Mr. Murdock.”

He had just pulled the door closed when he heard something smash against the other side.

* * *

 

Ben looked out at the Hudson as he waited for the contact that had texted him an hour ago from a blocked number asking for a meet up at his usual spot.

“Might I suggest you invest in a stun gun, Mr. Urich?”

He whirled around at the crisp voice and started backing away from him. “I moved from a stun gun to an actual gun years ago, Mr. Wesley.”

Wesley stopped short, bringing his hands up within plain sight as he stared down the barrel of Ben’s gun.

“Smart man.”

“Did you think you were going to get rid of me like you did the Russians?”

“That was my employer, I’m here to help you with an article you have been working on about him.”

Ben’s eyebrows shot up in disbelief.

“What, Mr. Urich? You have a history of rubbing elbows with the criminal underworld in order to get the best sources for your stories. Is this really so shocking?”

He cocked the gun. “Yes, and many of those men have been killed by you and your employer.”

Wesley sighed, he really didn’t have time for this. “We have a mutual friend, I believe you refer to him as the man in the black mask?”

Ben considered him for a long moment before uncocking and holstering the gun.

“There, now that we’ve established a sort of trust-“ Wesley paused at Ben’s chuckle.

“We don’t have trust, Mr. Wesley. I can’t figure out why the man in the black mask is working with you given your past.”

“My-“

“I know about you, James Wesley. You should have been as careful as your employer when it came to giving your name out.”

When Wesley remained stubbornly quiet, Ben continued.

“If the man in black is working with you he must see some good in you. I just hope you’re worthy of it.”

* * *

 

Matt slammed into the office, still pissed about his earlier conversation with Wesley. He was so preoccupied that he didn’t even pick up on the tension between Karen and Foggy who were only too happy to avoid discussing their relationship with Matt.

“Hey Matt, will you look at this on Ms. Cardenas’ case?”

Foggy tossed the file on Matt’s desk, which was already overflowing with paperwork.

“Sure, hey Foggy?”

“Yeah, buddy?”

“Why do you smell like Karen’s shampoo?”

* * *

 

“Frankly Mr. Urich, I don’t particularly care if the man in the black mask trusts me. What matters is bringing Wilson Fisk down.”

“Hm. You know I’ve been doing this for a lot of years and I’m pretty good at reading people and reading in between the lines.”

Wesley rolled his eyes, “As fascinating as this character study is, can we get down to business sometime today, Mr. Urich?”

Ben continued on like Wesley had never spoken. “I think you do care if he trusts you. Because I don’t believe that you are as loyal to Wilson Fisk as you would have them believe. I think that you got in over your head and you are barely treading water. You want an out. It’s as simple as that. But like I said, I hope you are worthy of it.”

Wesley snatched his glasses off and started cleaning them furiously, but he didn’t disagree with anything that Ben had said.

“As I said, getting back to the matter at hand. What do you know about how Wilson Fisk’s father disappeared, Mr. Urich?”


	3. Chapter Three

Chapter Three 

Wesley loved words, he had always had a gift for learning languages. It was a part of what had made him stand out to Wilson Fisk all of those years ago. He had been a working his way up an organization with his cousin and was well on his way to being in charge one day. They had made a deal with Fisk and someone in the organization had screwed up and it had fallen to Wesley to fix the issue. As fate would have it, the real culprit turned out to be one of Fisk’s underling who was skimming from them. When Fisk and Wesley confronted the man, he pulled a gun on them and started yelling at Fisk in Mandarin. The man was shocked that Wesley spoke his native tongue and paused just long enough for Wesley to grab the gun and handle the situation.

Fisk was impressed enough that he offered Wesley a job on the spot. When he declined the offer, Fisk cautioned Wesley that he could be a big fish in a little pond or be a shark in the ocean. In the end, Wesley accepted and he can still remember just how excited hew was for the new opportunity.

Now he can hardly stand to be around the man. As he listens to Nobu and needlessly translates the conversation for him, it is all he can do to keep the disgust off of his face.

"-did you get that last part?"

Fisk sighed. He was so tired of this juggling act. "Yes, threats are clear in any language."

"He needs to be taught some manners." _And so do you_.

"Leave it alone."

Wesley knew he was treading on dangerous ground with Wilson's temper likely to flare up at any given moment, but he couldn't leave it alone.

"If the Russians had spoken to you this way..."

Fisk snapped, "They aren't the Russians."

"No, the Russians actually contributed."

On a roll, Wesley ticked off what each party brought to their enterprise.

"Leland's financials, Gao's product, and Vlad and Anatoly's distribution until we absorbed that facet."

Maybe he would find something new that could help him bring Fisk down for good.

"What do Nobu and his men bring to the table? What are they in all this?"

Wilson just stared at him with those dead eyes, unseeing eyes and suddenly all Wesley could think of was Matt Murdock. "A necessary evil."

Murdock was blind but he could still see more than Wilson Fisk ever did. Wesley cleared his throat, "I just I don't like the way he speaks to you, that's all."

When Fisk didn't respond Wesley continued, "Especially now, when everything's going our way."

"That's exactly when you need to be cautious."

* * *

 

"It's been a while, Matthew."

"Father."

"Was that business down by the docks you?"

Father Lantom shrugged at Matt's surprise. "I'm a priest. I hear things. It's hard not to put two and two together."

Matt chuckled, "That wasn't me, Father. But I was there."

Father Lantom _hmphed_ and went back to fiddling with his espresso machine.

"Father, I want to stop the cycle of violence and crime in Hell's Kitchen, and I think I finally have a way to do that."

"But you must be conflicted about this path if you're here."

"It means working with someone inside the organization. He isn't a good man, he just wants to save his own skin."

"Is that such a bad thing? I know we preach Catholic guilt pretty heavily, Matthew, but caring about whether you live or die is not such a bad thing."

"Even if he's broken the law and hurt people?”

"Let he who is without sin cast the first stone, Matthew. Have you stopped to consider that there is a reason that this man is suddenly willing to help you? Perhaps something woke him up and caused him to decide to help you. Maybe it was his faith in you, and you should return this faith in him. If you treat a person like they are going to continue to do something wrong then what motivation do they have to change?”

* * *

“So which ring do you like, sir?” He pushed the velvet mat glittering with rings towards his employer.

As Wilson debated, Wesley checked his watch. “Waiting on something, Wesley?”

“Just wondering where Francis is with our dinner.”

“Oh, he’ll be a while. I gave him another task.”

Wesley head shot up, “Sir?”

“The Tully situation has become an inconvenience. I asked Francis to take care of the ringleader, a Ms. Cardenas, I believe.”

“Oh, was that wise?”

“Wesley, are you questioning me? I remind you that even though we are friends, you work for me and not with me.”

“Forgive me sir, but you misunderstood me.” Wesley adjusted his glasses, “I wasn’t questioning your decision sir, just the executor of that decision.”

“Oh.” Wilson glanced back at the rings again. “I’m sorry, Wesley. It’s been a stressful time.”

Wesley nodded absently, as he calculated the odds of getting to Matt in time to help Ms. Cardenas.

“So you sent him a few hours ago?”

“Yes. Don’t be offended Wesley, I figured that you would enjoy picking out Vanessa’s wedding ring. She does so value your good taste. We both do.”

“Oh I’m not offended, just hungry. I believe I’ll go fix myself a snack.”

In the kitchen, Wesley took several deep breaths trying to calm his rising nerves. He should have heeded Fisk's advice to be cautious. He shouldn't have pressed him so hard about Nobu and the organization. If Fisk didn’t trust him then he was a dead man. Still, his agreement with Murdock was too tenuous. If he found out about Ms. Cardenas before Wesley had the chance to tell him, then that would not bode well for their partnership.

He made a show of fixing himself a bowl of cereal as he surreptitiously dialed Murdock. This was a big risk, calling him from Fisk’s apartment with him only a few feet away but Wesley truly saw no other option. _Damn it_. It had gone to voicemail. It wasn’t like he could text him.

“Wesley?”

“Yes, sir?”

“I believe I’ve made my choice.”

Wesley rested his forehead briefly against the cool refrigerator wishing that he had never taken this job. That he didn’t have to go out there and pretend for this man. The doorbell rang.

“That must be Francis with the food. Wesley, the door?”

Of course it was Francis. Which meant he was too late to save Elena Cardenas. Could this night get any worse?

The doorbell rang again. He sighed and tried to relax into his typical, uncaring persona as he reluctantly returned to playing the role of Wilson Fisk’s assistant.

* * *

He took the stairs two at a time as he raced towards Murdock’s apartment.

Wesley’s night had gotten substantially worse. Not only was he concerned that Fisk didn’t trust him, but Vanessa had convinced the man to go public before Ben could publish his article. And guess who had to make all of the arrangements for the press conference.

He kept trying Matt up until the last minute, but the man had never answered. It wasn’t like he could just stroll over to Nelson and Murdock without anyone noticing. He had managed to contact Ben Urich who somehow didn’t seem surprised at all by the outcome.

“Kid, I’ve been doing this a long time.”

“It was all for nothing.”

“Hey, you tried. If I was you, I would start watching your back. We know how Fisk reacts to betrayal.”

Wesley didn’t understand how Ben could be concerned with him when his story was now dead.

“Look, not everyone is out for themselves. You’ve just been around criminals too long.”

“Hm. What if I told you that I had more information about crimes committed by Fisk? Even if he’s in the public, this many crimes would still end any kind of public career.”

Ben said nothing for a few moments. “Give it up, son.” His tone was firm but gentle. “I’ve known a lot of whistleblowers and only a handful are still around.”

“I can’t.” Wesley sounded almost panicked, his life couldn’t end like this with no meaning. “I’ll try and get the information, but Ben if something happens to me. Look into Fisk’s cufflinks.”

He hung up before Ben could respond. Now as he reached Murdock’s door he wondered if he had made the wrong decision in coming here. He didn’t get long to wonder, as Matt pulled the door open before he could knock and yanked him inside the apartment.

“WHY?”

He slammed Wesley back against the door, his head knocking against it. Wesley shoved back,

“If you want an answer Murdock, it is best not to give the person you’re asking a concussion before you get a response.”

Matt twisted Wesley’s arm back behind him and pushed him back up against the wall. “And you always have an answer for everything.”

“Break my arm if you want, I don’t care.” Matt was surprised to find that Wesley was telling the truth, “But if you want any chance at salvaging our attempt to bring my employer to-“

Wesley hissed in pain as Matt snatched his hair and jerked his head back. He leaned in to Wesley’s ear, “Say his name.”

When he didn’t answer, Matt’s grip tightened on his hair.

“Fisk.”

“His full name.”

“Wilson Fisk.”

Matt spun him around and put both of his hands around Wesley’s neck. He didn’t squeeze, but just held Wesley in place.

“Now tell me why I shouldn’t kill you for Elena Cardenas.”

“I didn’t know. I tried warning you, multiple times...”

He paused when Matt flexed his fingers against his throat. “…There is proof or at least links to some prior murders that Fisk committed. I may be able to get them to Ben and from there…”

He stopped as Matt laughed bitterly. It wasn’t a good sound on him.

“It’s too late for that. We tried it the legal way, now we’re going to try it my way.”

He was gone before Wesley could stop him.

* * *

For whatever reason, Murdock didn’t reveal Wesley’s betrayal to Fisk. Still, it was not easy living under the constant fear that he would be exposed. He tried again to warn Matt about the trap, but he wouldn’t answer his phone. They really needed a better means of communication. Not that it would matter if Fisk’s trap worked.

Wesley couldn’t believe that Matt had fallen for it, and it took every fiber of his being not to help him with Nobu. As soon as he could, Wesley fired a couple of shots in Matt’s direction to buy him a few seconds of clearance so that he could get to the window.

“Put men on the dock. If they see the Mask, put a bullet in him.”

He just hoped Matt had survived his fall.

* * *

 

“You know Foggy, maybe we should talk to Matt.” Karen and Foggy were finishing up at the office. Matt hadn’t bothered to return after the news about Elena.

“Yeah. I don’t know what’s been up with him. He’s been brooding more than normal even for him.”

“Do you think he was serious about stopping the investigation?” Karen laid a hand on Foggy’s shoulder.

Foggy sighed. “I don’t know, but…”

“But what?”

“I know that we can’t stop investigating. And I’m going to convince him.”

Foggy decided then that the way Karen’s face lit up was worth all the crap Matt would give him about their fool’s errand.

“And while you do that, I’ll whip you up another batch of my grandma’s secret recipe.”

“Sold!”

* * *

Later Matt didn’t know how he had made it home after his encounter with Nobu and Fisk. The adrenaline had begun to wear off and every step he took was tougher than the one before it. He collapsed into his apartment from the fire escape. The last thing he felt before he past out completely were strong hands lifting him up.

Wesley had just arrived at the apartment a few moments before Matt stumbled in bleeding like a stuck pig. He was kind of glad that Murdock was unconscious, it made moving him around a hell of a lot easier.

“Foggy…”

Okay, so maybe he wasn’t that unconscious. Why was he murmuring his law partner’s name? Wesley ignored the twinge of jealousy in his gut.

“…door.”

The doorbell rang out.

Oh, well that made sense.

“Matt! Come on, Matt.”

Wesley stopped moving, hoping that he would go away.

A few moments later, “I need to talk to you, Matt.”

Wesley pulled Matt’s bedroom door shut and went to answer the door. If he ever got out of this alive he was never answering another doorbell. He may not even have doorbells in his next home.

“Mr. Nelson.”

“Uh, you’re not Matt.” Foggy said intelligently.

“Right you are, Mr. Nelson.” Wesley smiled, “I have another case for Nelson and Murdock. We ran into one another and Matthew kindly invited me back here to discuss it. Privately.”

Not waiting to see his reaction, Wesley slammed the door in Foggy’s face.

* * *

If he thought the pain was bad before, after the adrenaline left his system it was even worse now. Matt shifted to see what his range of motion was, but a hand stopped him.

“It’s best if you lay back, Mr. Murdock.”

Matt recoiled and then hissed at the pain the quick move brought. “What are you doing here?”

“You don’t remember? Hm.” Wesley clucked his tongue and moved around grabbing different items. From what Matt could tell they were medical supplies. His senses were all jumbled. He jumped when something pushed at his lips. Wesley sighed.

“I’m sorry, I should have…this is a thermometer. Do you mind if I take your temperature?”

Matt was taken aback by the gentleness in Wesley’s tone. He was instantly distrustful.

“Answer me.”

Wesley returned the thermometer to its case.

“I found you in your apartment and have been keeping an eye on you until Claire can get here.”

“How do you know-“

“About Claire? Your phone and that was the name of the woman the Russians were looking for who knew about the man in the black mask. Your law partner came by while you were out as well.”

“Foggy?”

“Yes, I led him to believe we had a private business meeting. I didn’t imagine you would want him to find out your secret. Him or Ms. Page.”

Matt flinched openly at the thought of Foggy and Karen finding out. How betrayed they might feel. Wesley watched him thoughtfully. _What makes you tick, Matthew?_ He reapplied the cold press to Matt’s forehead and checked the crude stitches that Claire had talked him through.

Matt struggled to clear his throat, and Wesley handed him a cup of water, his hands lingering against Matt’s. “I’m surprised you aren’t here to finish off the job you started in the warehouse.”

Wesley dropped Matt’s hands and backed away. “I may be blind, but I know that it was you pulling the trigger at me in that warehouse tonight.”

“You’re an idiot, you don’t know what happened.”

“And you’re a manservant for a sadist.” Matt set the cup on the bedside, slowly gaining better control of his senses. “Or is it more than that? Are you and Fisk lovers, Wesley?”

“I would never be with that monster. I--“ Matt sensed another person. One he actually liked.

“Claire is here. Your services are no longer needed, Wesley.”

Matt tasted copper in the air, and this time it wasn’t his own blood.

“I see the patient is awake.”

“Can I speak to you outside, Claire?” Claire could sense the tension and was only too happy to oblige Wesley.

“I did everything you said, but I wasn’t able to get away to retrieve any of the supplies you listed. I had to make do with what was around.”

Claire nodded, “It’s alright, I grabbed a bag of stuff from the hospital before I left. Do you mind staying and helping me if I need to lift him?”

“Actually, my presence only seems to be aggravating him. Plus, I need to get back to my…work.”

Claire’s eyes narrowed at him. “And what work is that?”

“You and I both know who I work for. But not for long. Not after tonight.” _Not after what he’s done_.

That seemed to satisfy Claire’s curiosity, at least for the time being. “Will you keep me updated if his condition worsens or if you need anything?”

She agreed and Wesley gave her the number of a burner where she could text him. He gave one last look towards the bedroom and left without another word.

* * *

“Foggy what happened? I was worried.”

Foggy shook his head and immediately headed towards Karen’s liquor supply.

“I went to the bar.”

Oh god, she knew this would happen. “Is this about us? Please tell me I’m not your Yoko.”

“No…” He sat down carefully on the couch. Scared he might throw up at any moment.

“Something did happen. But it wasn’t what I was expecting. “

“Okay Foggy, now you’re scaring me. Is Matt okay?”

“No, he isn’t. I think Matt is dating a shark in a suit.”

* * *

Wesley pushed the heel of his hands into his eyes. He hadn’t slept in close to seventy-two hours. Between running a now very public operation for Fisk, and making the necessary arrangements with Leland and Madam Gao, Wesley was running on empty. He glanced at his burner phone. No messages. Apart from ordering takeout and medical supplies to be delivered to his apartment, Wesley had not been back to check on Matt Murdock. Not like he would want him there anyway. No, instead Claire had been very diligent in sending him updates. Wesley grinned when he thought about her humorous texts, those updates were about the only thing keeping him going at this point.

Leland was his usual insufferable self. Madam Gao at least was reasonable, if cagy. Truth be told, he’d be glad when his dealings with the old bat were done. The car stopped, they had arrived.

“Wesley, is everything in place?”

“Yes, sir. Senator Cherry and a lot of other donors are in attendance. They are expecting you to make a few remarks at the beginning.”

“Very good.” Fisk turned towards Vanessa, and offered her his arm.

Wesley trailed behind them as they entered the benefit. _It will all be alright soon enough_.

“Well look who is awake.”

Matt smiled half-heartedly. “I was an idiot to trust him, Claire.”

She sighed. “You really have only two settings, Murdock. Brooding and super brooding. Seriously, get over yourself. This pity party is unattractive.”

“I’m sorry again for getting you into this mess. Thank you for helping me.”

Claire smiled and sat down next to him. “Happy to help. And you are right that you’re an idiot. You’re just wrong about why.”

Matt quirked an eyebrow with the unasked question.

“Let me read you the top story in today’s New York Bulletin. Local philanthropist targeted at a benefit…”

By the time Claire finished reading him the article, Matt had gone deadly still. “Matt, you were right not to get involved with me. But you don’t have to do this alone. You’ve found someone else that has the same mission as you. Don’t push him away.”

Matt clenched his hands around the sheets. He had fucked up.

“Well, shit.”

* * *


	4. Chapter Four

Chapter Four 

After the benefit, all hell broke loose. Not that he hadn’t been expecting something to happen, but it happened to the wrong person.

“Did Gao give any indication she was still unhappy when you spoke with her?”

Leland scoffed. As if he could figure that woman out. “Not that I could tell. My money's on the Japanese.”

“Hmm.” Wesley knew there were people listening so he tried to appear more interested. But listening to Leland Owlsley was the last thing he wanted to do right now.

“After what he did to Nobu…”

“The titles for all the buildings in the city block the Japanese wanted have been transferred to them, per our original agreement. As for Nobu they believe the man in the mask was responsible for his accident.”

“Right, sure.”

Wesley sighed. _Insufferable_. “Well maybe he's the one who slipped a hot dose into Vanessa's Bellini.”

He nearly laughed at the ludicrous notion that Murdock would ever get rid of an enemy by poisoning them. That would be too reasonable. No, Matt Murdock liked taking a beating far too much to make such a calculated move. Still, he had been upset about Elena. But he never would have risked taking out bystanders in the process. Still it would be best to redirect Leland from this line of thinking.

“Keep an eye on their accounts. If there are any sudden shifts, it might tell us something.”

His number two approached him with news then. “Yeah? Thank you, Francis.” _Jackass_.

“What? What happened? Is she dead?”

“No, but three of the others who drank whatever that was have passed.”

“’Passed’ always hated that description. Such a sad attempt to avoid the bare-knuckle truth.”

Wesley didn’t disagree. “She'll make it.”

Leland scoffed, “You got a med degree in your pocket I don't know about? Why are you so sure?”

Wesley led Leland to a more private part of the hallway, away from the prying eyes and ears of Francis. “Because she has to, Leland. And just what the hell happened?”

“Don't get all weepy we have matters that need to be addressed.”

“Hmm. Reach out to Gao.”  
“- Me?”

Well at least that seemed to shock him. “Mmm.”

“What if she's the one who did all this?”

“Well, you said you didn't think it was her.” Wesley smirked.

“What the hell do I know? I was almost poisoned! I'm not thinking straight.”

There really was something very satisfying about making Leland squirm and watching him backtrack from a hole he had dug himself. Wesley leaned in close, “Leland, our plan was to poison Fisk. Not Vanessa. What the hell happened.”

“Gao thought that getting rid of Vanessa would put Fisk back on track.” Wesley pursed his lips in frustration, but straightened backed up when he noticed that Francis had moved incrementally closer to him and Leland.

“Speak with Gao if she wasn't involved, we might need her support against…further unpleasantries.”

“And if she was involved?”

Wesley grinned, “Then it's been an honor doing business with you.”

After Leland had finally left still complaining about his task, Wesley encouraged Wilson to rest while he watched Vanessa. Not that he particularly cared what happened to her, but at least he could get some shut eye under the guise of a bedside vigil.

He had been sleeping maybe two hours before Vivaldi’s Spring Allegro started playing. He checked the phone and groaned inwardly. It turns out, if you speak of the devil, he doth appear. Well, in Wesley’s case if you dream of the devil.

“Yeah?”

Across the city, Matt winced. If Wesley was abandoning all attempts at being polished, then he must be pretty mad. _Rightfully so, you said awful things_ …

“I…I saw the paper this morning.”

“Really? It’s a modern miracle.”

Matt snorted, “I…”

Wesley twisted around in his chair to check and make sure that the door to Vanessa’s room was still securely closed.

“You know, Murdock, if I had wanted you dead, you would be.”

“Look…”

“I haven’t missed a moving target in years until a few nights ago.”

“I understand.”

Wesley wanted to ask, _Oh really?_ But he settled for silence. He would not make it easy for Murdock to apologize to him. “I assume this call has some purpose aside from false platitudes?”

“I think we can still bring him down. By using Hoffman.”

Wesley paused. They had been looking for the good detective for quite some time now. “How…”

“Leland Owlsley has been hiding him.”

 _That son of a bitch_.

“Hold on a sec, let me get to a better location.”

As he stepped out of Vanessa’s room he saw Fisk heading towards him. “No, we’re on the same page.”

“Huh?”

“I’ll call you back.”

Matt realized that the tone shift must mean that Wesley was unable to speak. “Meet me at Fogwell’s Gym. And Wesley, call me Matt.”

Wesley smiled as he replaced his phone in his coat pocket. “We have a lead on the poisoner and some other things that need attending, if you don’t mind sir?”

“Of course, Wesley.”

* * *

Turns out Vanessa was strong because he got an alert from Francis that she woke up not long after he left. At least that might buy them a little more time for them to plan. The sign outside indicated that the gym was closed but the door was unlocked when he tried it. Inside he found the devil of Hell’s Kitchen sparring an invisible partner in the boxing ring. Wesley had been fond of poetry since he was a child and Murdock… _Matthew…_ fighting was the closest thing to poetry in motion that Wesley had seen in years. He had gotten a taste of it through their various encounters and even more so the other night when he had fought Nobu and Fisk. Even now it made his gut clench to think about the beating that he had taken.

He cleared his throat even though he knew that Matt was aware of his presence.

“Are you sure that you should be back in the ring so soon?”

Matt grinned, reveling in the rush of endorphins that came with a good workout.

“Want to find out?”

The cocky response hit Wesley like a ton of bricks, “Sure.”

Matt looked as shocked as Wesley felt. He decided then that he liked keeping the devil off balance.

“I warn you, Murdock…” Wesley laid his jacket on a table near the ring, never taking his eyes off of Matt’s. “I may not be as proficient in fisticuffs as you are, but I don’t fight fair.”

Matt snorted. “Fisticuffs, really?”

Wesley shrugged as he climbed up into the ring, “Believe it or not, but I can fight.”

He drew up just short of Matt in the center of the ring. “But it’s dirty, and nowhere near as pretty as you.”

Well if that didn’t just conjure up all kinds of images and make Matt’s throat go dry.

Wesley almost succeeded in catching Matt off guard with a right jab. But he caught his arm and twisted it, planning to pin him with it. Wesley wasn’t having it, he tried slamming his head back and Matt had to release his arm to avoid being head butted.

They circled one another warily. Matt was surprised to see that Wesley was nearly as quick as he was strong. Usually it was one or the other with people. Somehow during this, Wesley had moved even closer. Normally he would have thrown a punch or two, but Wesley was still wearing his glasses. He had left them on for that exact reason. He felt Wesley’s eyes watching him knowingly as he came to that realization.

In an attempt to surprise him, Matt threw a punch which Wesley dodged and pivoted to hit him in the side. Wesley circled closer and closer, crowding Matt into the corner.

“You’re distracted.” He whispered. “Focus, quit holding back.”

Matt charged him then and Wesley barely managed to side step him.

“Good.” He panted.

He tried it again, but this time Wesley was ready. He dodged to the side, and kicked the back of Matt’s left knee. He hit the mat hard, and Wesley took full advantage by pinning him.

Matt laid on his back panting, his breathing impeded in part by Wesley who seemed in no hurry to unpin him. “You weren’t kidding about fighting dirty.”

He could hear the grin in Wesley’s voice. “You have no idea, Murdock.”

“If we’re going to work together you really need to start calling me Matt.”

Wesley leaned in then and Matt sudden difficulty with breathing had nothing to do with exercise. He felt thin lips ghost over the shell of his ear, “You pulled some stitches.”

And yeah, Matt had known the moment his wound reopened. “I know.” He hated how quiet that came out.

Wesley chuckled, the nearness of it causing Matt’s stomach to tighten involuntarily. “You really should be more careful, _Matthew_.” And then the weight off his chest was lifted and he could breathe again. Well mostly. Matt pulled himself up with the hand Wesley had held out.

“So what do we know about Hoffman’s location?” Back to business then.

* * *

Dealing with Hoffman turned out to be relatively easy.

Wesley and Matt found that they made a surprisingly good team. Wesley providing cover as Matt fought his way through Leland’s men. He wasn’t kidding about being a good shot.

“What are you going to do now?”

They had just seen Hoffman go into the police station. “I don’t know.” Wesley turned his distracted gaze from the police building to look at Matt, “I’ll probably stay out of sight until the warrants are served.”

“That’s probably for the best. You know that the more they close in on Fisk, the more volatile and dangerous he’ll become.” Wesley studied Matt but didn’t respond. He didn’t want this to be over.

“Perhaps we can use that to our advantage. But first, we are going to get you an outfit better suited to your…nighttime activities.”

* * *

One very awkward visit to Melvin Potter, who was apparently the body armor tailor to the criminals of Hell’s Kitchen, Matt had a new suit. Well, not yet. But he would. And with what they were planning, it may very well come in handy. Wesley’s idea was to give the police more time to make their case against Fisk by distracting him.

“He views me as a friend. After what happened to Vanessa, someone coming after me might push him to act rashly.”

Not for the first time, Matt wondered how Wesley could have come to work for Fisk.

“Do you size up the weaknesses of everyone you meet?”

“Don’t you?”

Matt’s phone started chirping then. “Foggy! Foggy!”

“Hey, what’s up?”

"I think Karen is in trouble, Matty."

* * *

Karen Page was most definitely in trouble. She had taken it upon herself to keep investigating Fisk and had even tricked Ben Urich into seeing Fisk’s mother in a nursing home upstate. Thankfully, she had left a note on Foggy’s desk in case something happened. Right after Foggy’s call Ben had called Wesley, who wanted to know why the hell Ben had gone along with Karen once he realized where they were.

“Hey, you and the man in the black mask can’t do all the heavy lifting around here.”

Wesley squeezed the phone tightly. “Be careful, Ben.”

Matt, in his typical man in the black mask garb, managed to get to Karen before Fisk’s other men could get a hold of her.

Matt didn’t want to tie her up, but Wesley insisted. They needed her to listen. To back off.

Of course, Matt couldn’t tie a knot worth a damn and she slipped out of them and managed to grab his gun.

“You want to make your grand entrance, or are you just going to let her kill me?”

Karen gasped as the man in the black mask stepped out of the shadows.

“You’re both working together?”

“We are.”

Wesley snatched his gun back from Karen. “Ms. Page, we have set some things in motion that are going to make life very difficult for Wilson Fisk. It’s best if you stay out of the situation entirely.”

“I-I don’t understand.”

“Of course you don’t.”

Matt sighed. “Karen you need to back off for your own safety and the safety of your employers.”

She paled thinking about Foggy getting caught up in all of this.

“Okay, I’ll back off.”

After Karen left, Matt removed his mask and sighed. “You never learned to play well with others, did you?”

Wesley bared his teeth. “I have no time for coddling idiots. Are we doing this or what?”

“You sure? This is going to push him to the edge.” As he spoke, Matt pushed Wesley into Karen’s vacated chair.

“Yes. I just want this to be over. Hand me the knife.”

Matt handed it to him reluctantly, his fingers brushing against Wesley’s. He could feel Wesley’s eyes staring a hole in his head. He heard the slice of metal on skin and turned away even though he couldn’t see. The smell of blood in the air overwhelming him.

“There, it’s done.”

The tremble in Wesley’s voice gave him away as he started turning over chairs to stage the scene.

“I suppose we should leave a ransom note?”

“That’s a bit much. This will be enough.”

Matt said a silent prayer that Wesley was right.

* * *

And he was right. For about five minutes. Until Leland squealed about his and Gao’s plan and Wesley’s involvement in the plot to poison Vanessa. For whatever else he was, Wilson Fisk was not an idiot. He put it together that Wesley must be working with the man in the black mask. And when he realized that his protégé had been speaking with Ben Urich about his family, well that was a bridge too far.

* * *

Matt hadn’t seen Wesley in a day or so until he came bursting into Nelson and Murdock as unhinged as Matt had ever seen him.

“This is all YOUR fault.” He roared, clearing Karen’s desk with a swipe of his hand. Foggy who had been talking with Karen tried to get Wesley to back off. Matt was there before Wesley could raise a fist to hit Foggy.

“What happened, Wesley?” Wesley laughed and it was a cold, hollow sound.

“Ben Urich is dead.” The room went still and there was a sudden ringing in Matt’s ear. He recognized it has anger.

“He’s dead because of her and Fisk knows.” He leaned into Matt’s ear and he had to suppress a shiver as Wesley whispered, “He knows _everything_.”

And then he was gone.

Matt waited about twenty minutes before going after him. Foggy and Karen just stared after them. And then Foggy turned to Karen, “I told you they were dating.”

Karen nodded and got up to go check on the arrangements for Ben’s funeral. “I’ll do you one better. I think Matt’s the reason that Wesley has decided to help the man in the black mask. They're all working together.”

 


	5. Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I originally had every intention of completing this a week or two ago, but life intervened and squashed those goals. So here are the final two chapters.

In the end Matt found Wesley at Fogwell’s Gym beating the hell out of a punching bag with his bare fists.

“You should really use gloves for that.” Wesley paused for half a beat before continuing to pummel the bag.

“…Or at least tape up your hands.”

Matt winced as he heard the cracks and pops of the joints in Wesley’s hands. _That's going to hurt in the morning_.

“I didn’trealize that you and Ben were so close.” Matt knew the instant the words left his lips that he had said exactly the wrong thing.

Wesley stopped hitting the bag and leaned his forehead against it. _He was so tired_.

“We weren’t.”

“Could’ve fooled me.”

Wesley scowled, “Look Murdock, I know you mean well but…”

“Back to Murdock already?” Matt just managed to dodge the fist Wesley threw in his direction.

Wesley panted, and glared at where Matt stood, leaning calmly against the wall. Glaring at a blind man was unsurprisingly not very fulfilling. “Don’t pretend we’re friends. I know what you all think of me.”

“We-“

“The hell of it is, that I agree with you.”

He recognized that it was an exercise in futility to continue trying to fight Matt, so he turned back to the punching bag still swinging in front of him.

“I’m a liar,”

_Punch_.

“…a traitor,”

_Punch_.

“…murderer,”

_Punch_.

“…a monster.”

Enough was enough. Matt grabbed Wesley’s fist before it could connect with the bag. They tussled briefly, but Matt came out on top, literally. He had Wesley up against the wall, with an arm against his chest, discouraging him from continuing to struggle.

“Fisk is the real monster here, Wesley.”

He snorted, “Are you sure? He never misled me about what he was, Matthew.”

Matt couldn’t help how his pulse quickened whenever Wesley said his name in that silky tone of his.

“I wasn’t led astray. I went willingly. Enthusiastic, even.” Wesley’s eyes narrowed as Matt’s tongue darted out to lick his lips. _Interesting_.

“It was a mistake.” Wesley bucked against him then and Matt dropped his hold to let him go. But if Matt thought that Wesley would back away, then he was the one who was mistaken.

“A mistake?” He hissed into his ear, slowly backing him into the wall “A mistake is forgetting to pick up the dry cleaning.”

Matt swallowed thickly, trying to suppress the instinct to strike out and get Wesley to back off. Wesley planted a hand on either side of his head before leaning in even closer. “Vlad tried to get me to leave and work with him instead.”

Wesley’s tone had gone whipcord tight when he mentioned the deceased Russian. _Vlad?_

“I didn’t listen. Now everyone is dead. Vlad, his idiot brother, Ms. Cardenas, Ben…”

Wesley’s voice trailed off, caught up in past memories of the decisions he had made. Matt raised his hand to his shoulders slow and steady, trying not to startle him.

“But you’re not.” He couldn’t say why it was so important to him that Wesley believe he wasn’t a monster. Perhaps it was his own fears that he had crossed a line or would at some point be irredeemable.

Wesley laughed shortly, “No, not yet.”

Matt felt a sudden rush of cool air as Wesley moved away. “Go home, devil. I’ll take care of Fisk.”

Matt was shocked by the burst of panicked emotions that suddenly tore free. _What?_

Apparently he said that aloud, because Wesley paused on his way to the door to respond.

“No one else is going to die because I helped that sadist.”

“No.” He was across the gym and blocking the exit before he realized what was happening.

Wesley gritted his teeth and snarled, “Out of the way, Murdock.”

He had dropped all pretenses of his normally calm and collected facade, he didn’t have time for this bullshit. He stopped just short of Matt, fists clenching and unclenching.

Matt put his hands out in what he hoped was a reassuring manner, “If we’re going to do this, then we are going to do it together.”

Wesley laughed then, “I figured you’d be happy if Fisk and I killed each other. Two birds, one stone, and all that.”

The thing is, a few weeks ago he would have been more than happy to let them kill one another. “Maybe,” he admitted, “but not now.”

Wesley studied him then, moving closer until Matt could feel him just a hair’s breadth away. “Why?” Matt thought back to his conversation with Father Lantom.

“Because maybe I think that you’re not just the lesser of two evils.” He swallowed before continuing, “…Maybe, I think that you’re worth saving.”

Wesley went still, unsure how to process that information. “This…” he stopped and tried again, “You…” Sensing an advantage in his confusion, Matt reached out and let his hands drift over Wesley’s face. It was different from that time in his apartment. Everything was different. He took his time and ran his fingers over his forehead, down warm, _flushed_ , cheeks. _Shame or arousal?_ He wondered. He took his time on his lips, cupping his chin and running his thumb across the lips. He trailed his fingers down Wesley’s jaw and let them come to rest at his neck, just above the racing pulse.

Wesley’s cleared his throat, extremely aware of Matt’s fingers drumming against the side of his neck, and of the unspoken question they were asking.

“You’re asking for permission? How charming.”

Fingers tightening against his neck and shoulder was all the warning he got before Wesley found himself once again with his back to a door and the devil advancing on him.

“This won’t end well.” Not that it stopped Matt from aligning and pressing his body fully into Wesley’s.

“Why do you care?“ Matt wasn’t sure how to answer.

"I don't know." He seemed as confused as Wesley felt and started to move away.

It was like a dam had burst, Wesley wound his hands in Matt’s hair and pulled him back even closer, crushing his lips to Matt’s. Wesley kissed just like he did everything else, with singular focus on getting the job done. Right now his job was making Matt Murdock come undone and he was succeeding. When he broke free of the kiss, he nipped at the corners of Matt’s mouth, before moving both of Matt’s hands above his head and holding them there. Wesley smiled at the kiss swollen lips, and leaned in to whisper in Matt’s ear, “You’re such a good Catholic boy, Matthew.” Wesley pressed his lips to Matt’s once more, before backing away. “But not everyone wants to be saved.”

_What?_ He heard the clink of metal then.

Matt tugged uselessly at his now handcuffed hands.

“You sonofabitch,” He pulled harder, and kicked his legs out at Wesley.

“Just because I’m the lesser of two evils, doesn’t mean I’m any less evil, Matthew.”

Matthew felt hands against his face briefly, “Don’t do this, Wesley.”

The hand dropped to his shoulder and pressed. “I’m sorry.”

Matt unleased a tirade of profanity as the door slammed shut and the ticking of Wesley’s watch got further away.

* * *

He found Fisk in the master closet of his apartment.

“Wesley. I knew you would come back.” Wilson turned away from his bureau of cufflinks to look at him.

“Did you now?” Wesley cocked his gun as he spoke, he really wasn’t up for this whole, master-servant routine.

“Yes, my friend why did you betray me?”

Wesley laughed. “Friend? You don’t have friends. You have servants and Vanessa. Those are the two types of people in your life.”

Wilson tilted his head, “So…jealousy? That’s why you betrayed me for…that…interloper in the black mask?!”

Wesley bared his teeth, “That’s your fatal flaw, Wilson.” He moved to stand across the tray of cufflinks from his former employer. “You are too self-absorbed. You thought I was your friend, but were you a friend to me?”

“Is this about your fling with Vladimir?”

Wesley flinched and gritted his teeth. “So you knew? And still you…”

“OF COURSE I KNEW!” He roared, and shoved the bureau over, coming to tower over Wesley.

“It was a test, Wesley. I thought you had passed it…”

Wesley backed out of the closet and into the master bedroom slowly, gun still trained on Fisk.

“A test.” All of this because the paranoid bastard didn’t trust anyone.

Fisk narrowed his eyes, “You’ve ruined everything. I found you when you were just a backwoods, piece of trailer trash.”

He shoved the gun into his chest. “Yeah, well this backwoods piece of trash knows that every single one of those cufflinks belonged to one of your victims.”

Pressing the gun against him was a mistake, Wilson grabbed the gun, and flung it aside as if it were a toy. Still, Wesley stood his ground.

“Vanessa may not know what a sadistic murderer you are, but she will.”

Fisk caught him off guard then with a backhand to the face. He wiped the blood from his lip.

“I got Vanessa out of here the moment I learned of your betrayal. She’s safe.”

Wesley sneered, “She’ll never be safe with you.”

Fisk erupted at that, and threw out one of his meaty fists in a right hook which Wesley managed to dodge. He threw one of the vases off the dresser at him, as he struggled to get to the gun a few feet away, but he couldn’t match the fury of his boss. Fisk grabbed him around the waist and threw him bodily onto the ground. Wesley grinned as he landed a few punches against Fisk’s face. Hey, it wasn’t like he could get any uglier. Fisk straddled his waist and pinned his hands above his head.

“I’m going to kill you like I killed Ben Urich.”

“Go ahead. The devil has already won.”

Fisk growled in frustration and released Wesley’s hands, only to squeeze them around his neck. Wesley’s hands scratched and pushed against his employer’s but to no avail. The last thing he saw before he lost consciousness was a streak of red.

* * *

Matt tore through Hell’s Kitchen like an avenging angel, thanking God for the loose pipes in Fogwell’s Gym. He had gotten loose about twenty minutes after Wesley left and had gotten a hold of Melvin shortly thereafter for his new suit. He would need every advantage possible if he was going up against Fisk, he just hoped he wasn’t too late to save Wesley.

Fisk’s door was open and he could hear shouting. He slipped through the house quietly.

“I’m going to kill you like I killed Ben Urich.” Fisk hollered.

“Go ahead. The devil has already won.”

He rounded the corner into the master bedroom as he heard a sickening, gurgling sound. Fisk had his hands wrapped around Wesley’s throat and was squeezing the life out of him. Matt grabbed a lamp off a nearby table and swung it with all his might at Fisk’s head. He released his grip and staggered up to a standing position. He was still in front Wesley, and Matt couldn’t tell if he was still breathing or not.

“Come to see him die?”

“No, I came to take you in.”

Matt struck then, punching him in the face. Fisk moved back a few steps, tripping over Wesley. Matt made the mistake of taking his eyes off of Fisk for a second and that was when he lunged at him. They struggled, with Matt winding up on top and throwing punch after punch in his face. The new suit gave him the edge because it protected him better from Fisk’s angry blows. Eventually he managed to get Wesley’s cuffs on Fisk, and he left him to check on Wesley.

Wesley had moved to sit up against the far wall, with his gun clenched tightly in his shaking hand pointing at Fisk. Matt moved in front of Fisk. “Wesley?”

It took Wesley a few attempts before he could speak, and even then it was a harsh, hoarse sound.

“He is responsible for so many lives being ruined. If we let him go he will just cause more heartbreak and pain. It’s what he’s built for, it’s all he knows.”

Matt knelt down beside him, and put his hand on Wesley’s, forcing him to lower the gun. He spoke as gently as he could, “We can’t cross that line, Wesley.”

They both turned at the sharp bark of laughter from Fisk. “Wesley has already crossed that line, devil. Just ask him.”

Wesley shrugged Matt off and stood shakily. Matt watched him as he made his way across the room towards Fisk. He honestly didn’t know what he would do if Wesley killed Fisk, and that terrified him.

“You’ll never be free of me, Wesley. You know I’ll get my revenge.”

Wesley raised the gun to Fisk’s head.

“I’ll get my revenge on you…and him.”

He dropped the butt of the gun harshly against Fisk’s temple and turned back towards Matt.

“That should keep him quiet until the police arrive. What now, Murdock?” 


	6. Chapter Six

_A few weeks later…_

Wesley had somehow been able to weasel out of testifying against Fisk. He had managed to make a deal with the government for immunity by giving them all of the backstories on the cufflinks so that those victims could get justice. Matt suspected that one day Wesley would regret not testifying against Fisk for the closure aspect. When he mentioned this, Wesley just laughed and changed the subject.

“So what is next for you now that Wilson Fisk is out of the picture?”

Wesley shrugged, “I could ask you the same thing.”

When Matt didn’t respond, he continued, “I don’t know. There’s a power vacuum with Fisk and Vanessa is still out there somewhere with all of his resources at her disposal.”

“Hmm, perhaps you should stick around to keep an eye on things.”

He could feel Wesley’s gaze on him, and he licked his lips. “I happened to know of a very prestigious law firm that could use an office manager with your…particular skill set.”

“Why Matthew, are you offering me a job?” Wesley ran his hand down Matt’s tie causing him to stammer.

“Well…if…”

“I accept. You must be in dire need of me if you employ someone like Ms. Page.”

Matt sighed. This was not going to be an easy thing to explain to Karen and Foggy.

“You really need to learn to play well with others.”

* * *

“I still don’t understand why Daredevil, which stupid name by the way, would vouch for sharky to you and not Karen.” Foggy complained as he struggled to find the file he was looking for in the cabinet. Wesley’s new system was a constant source of consternation to him and Karen.

“I was surprised too, Mr. Nelson.” Foggy jumped and Matt grinned as Wesley finally made his presence known. He handed Foggy a file, I believe that you’re looking for this.

Foggy took the file and nodded. “Uh, thanks.”

After he hastily fled the room, Matt scowled at Wesley but it had no heat behind it. “You know, you really don’t have to frighten him. The goal is to get people to like you.”

“Meh. That’s your goal” Wesley turned back to the files and began sorting them by his peculiar methodology.

“You know they have a bet going, right?”

Wesley kept sifting through files. “Whatever about?”

“How long it’s going to take me to work up the courage to tell them that I’m in a relationship with you.”

Wesley closed the file drawer and turned back to Matt.

“What’s it up to?”

“That’s your question? Not why would they think that?”

Wesley crossed his arms and leaned against the cabinet. “I’m pretty sure I know why.”

“Care to enlighten me?”

“I may have…” Wesley paused as he groped for the right word, “mistakenly given the impression when you were injured after the fight on the dock with Nobu and Fisk that we were having a private meeting.”

Matt cocked his eyebrow, “And you’re just now telling me?” He tilted his head at the sound of footsteps.

Wesley asked again, “What’s the bet up to?”

“$200.” He grinned.

“Hey Matt?” Karen stuck her head in and her jaw dropped. Matt had Wesley against the file cabinet and appeared to be trying to consume his entire face. “Whoa, I can come back.”

Wesley pulled away, “That’s not necessary, Ms. Page.”

He smoothed his jacket, and Karen blushed when he did the same to Matt’s permanently askew jacket and tie. “I believe I won the bet between you and Mr. Nelson. How do you feel about steak, Matthew?”

* * *

Vanessa looked out at the sea from where she dined. That wretched assistant. He was to blame for her Wilson’s troubles and she would make him pay.

“Excuse me, ma’am?”

She looked up at the blind man, “Yes?”

“I believe we can be of service to one another.”

“Oh really?”

Stick grinned. “I understand that you’ve been having a little trouble recently in Hell’s Kitchen…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed it! I do have another short story for these two outlined. It will be called The Devil in the Details and feature some other characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and a surprise crossover from a completely unrelated fandom. I am hoping to get it completed and posted over the course of next week. 
> 
> Here is a summary for The Devil in the Details: Picks up a few weeks after The Lesser of Two Evils ends. Matt and Wesley are decidedly Not an item. Foggy and Karen still distrust Wesley, and Wesley providing asylum to the Winter Soldier does not inspire a lot of trust to the Avocados at Law. Also Stick is a dick.


End file.
